Barcelona coach counts on the club’s ‘historical failure signing’

Ronald Koeman addressed the press ahead of Barcelona’s encounter against Athletic Bilbao in which he spoke extensively about the futures and situations of various players in the team.

During the presser, he also spoke about Phillipe Coutinho and the expectations from him this season. Koeman was asked about the exclusion of the Brazilian from the squad for the second game in a row.

While the manager clearly stated that other players like Miralem Pjanic and Samuel Umtiti will find it difficult to find minutes, he spoke very positively about Coutinho.

“Coutinho is not called up because he still has to catch up physically. I count on him. He will be important for Barca this season,” said Koeman.

The former Liverpool player has not had it easy at Barcelona since his record transfer in 2018. Despite having a relatively bright start to life at Camp Nou, his graph took a steep nosedive since.

Through a combination of injuries and poor performances on the pitch, the Brazilian’s value has fallen rapidly.

Earlier in the transfer window, Coutinho was widely linked to an exit from Catalonia. He is the second-highest wage earner at Barcelona after Antoine Griezmann, and his departure was thought to be a solution to the wage restrictions imposed by the league.

However, any transaction requires two parties. Very few clubs were interested in the midfielder’s signing, and none for the high wages he was on.

Lionel Messi’s departure could be one reason behind Koeman’s decision to keep the player. In the Argentine’s absence, Coutinho could finally find the freedom in position on the pitch and step up.

Source: Barça TV+